Apparatus is disclosed which provides fast deployment of a wing which maneuvers a submunition toward a target.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 787,452, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,553 to Kane and assigned to the same assignee as this invention teaches that a samara blade type wing can be used for steering an air launched submunition toward a target. It is to be understood that the submunition is part of a multi-warhead shell which separates into several explosive devices on arrival over a designated target area. Each submunition is capable of destroying a ground target. Available miniaturized electronic circuitry enables each submunition to carry sensors and data processors that make it possible to recognize and seek out a target within a specified field of view.
By adding a samara blade to the rear of the cannister housing the explosive charge, it is possible to induce the submunition to rotatively spin about its central axis as it descends downward much like a maple seed falls from a tree in the springtime. This flexible blade has a tip weight attached which causes the blade to be pulled taut due to the centrifugal forces of the spinning submunition. This causes the blade to behave similar to a rigid blade. With blade twist induced by a properly designed wing tip, the blade pulls the submunition around at a constant spin rate in steady state. The device performs in a manner similar to many rigid winged fruits and seeds, hence the descriptor "Samara" meaning winged fruit.
These samara blades can be used on any submunition which is dispensed at altitude and allowed to free fall to earth. These submunitions may be mines or any of a variety of top attack smart submunitions. Some of these submunitions may be fired out of a cannon and have a resultant high spin rate, in which case the flexible samara blade deployment loads can be very high.
When stowed in the dispenser and to minimize volume, the flexible samara blade needs to be folded in some manner and stored tightly against the end face of the submunition. Upon being dispensed the blade must deploy in a controlled manner to prevent blade twist up, to minimize loads and to transition to stable autorotational motion.
Our invention assures the quick and positive deployment of the samara blade from a stowed status to an active status immediately after the submunition cannister separates in a spinning state from the mother shell casing. Separation usually occurs at an altitude of approximately 1500 ft. above ground.